Syracuse, NY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo just nominated a SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry alum to be the next Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner.

Joseph Martens is Cuomo's choice.

Here's what Cuomo's office said about Martens:

Since 1998, Martens has served as president of the Open Space Institute, directing and overseeing land acquisition, sustainable development, historic preservation and farmland protection. Previously, Martens served as deputy secretary to the governor for energy and the environment from 1992 to 1994 and as assistant secretary from 1990-92.

Martens is the chair of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which operates the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympic venues in Lake Placid and Wilmington, and Gore Mountain Ski Area in Johnsburg. He also chairs the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation, which continuously monitors Adirondack lakes and streams to determine the extent and magnitude of acidification in the Adirondack region.

Martens studied resource economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received a master's of science in resource management from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.